Alex Smith ready to roll as Chiefs' unquestioned starter

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith is "so far ahead" of rookie Patrick Mahomes, according to general manager Brett Veach.

What It Means:

The expectation has always been for Smith to start for the foreseeable future but I'm sure the vote of confidence helps. After all, Mahomes was impressive in preseason so many were calling for him to get playing time ahead of the veteran. That doesn't look like it will happen anytime soon (barring injury), which should allow Smith to play confidently and build on a 3,502-yard, 15-touchdown season in 2016.

To start off the new year, Smith and his Chiefs will take on Tom Brady and the defending-champion New England Patriots in Foxboro. In the tough matchup, our models project Smith for 215.3 yards, 1.48 touchdowns and 15.2 FanDuel points at a cost of $6,900 for the Thursday slates.